Biobased Chemical

BY Amy Duke, Penn State Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsMarvin Hall, a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, is working to bring a highly productive life back to land damaged by mining using switchgrass, a crop that can be used as an alternative fuel source. READ MORE

BY Covestro Found In:ChemicalsCovestro has scored a research breakthrough for the use of plant-based raw materials in plastics production: aniline, an important basic chemical, can now be derived from biomass. READ MORE

BY Anellotech Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsAnellotech has completed a successful continuous performance test of the TCat-8 pilot plant as part of unit commissioning in Silsbee, Texas. The test involved continuous injection of MinFree woody biomass feedstock and production of BTX. READ MORE

BY American Society of Agronomy Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsA new study, led by Augustine Obour at Kansas State University, looks at how three varieties of camelina perform when grown in two different regions within the Great Plains. The goal is to find the variety that performs best in each location. READ MORE

BY UPM Biofuels Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsUPM Biofuels has received Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials certification for UPM BioVerno renewable diesel and naphtha, as well as production side streams turpentine and pitch. READ MORE

BY Los Alamos National Laboratory Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsA Los Alamos research team has mapped the three-dimensional structure of a protein that breaks down polysaccharides, such as the fibrous cellulose of grasses and woody plants, a finding that could help bring down the cost of creating biofuels. READ MORE

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe U.S. Department of Energy recently announced an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee and has published a notice soliciting nominations for new members.
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BY U.S. Department of Energy Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe Bioenergy Technologies Office recently announced the winner of the 2017 BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge, titled “Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Algae,” was created by two students from Normal Community West High School in Normal, Illinois. READ MORE

BY University of California Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsPlant biologists and biochemists from UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco have produced a gold mine of data by sequencing the genome of a green alga called Chromochloris zofingiensis.
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BY Anna SimetFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe renewable energy industry directly and indirectly employed 9.8 million people worldwide in 2016, an increase of 1.1 percent over the previous year, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency’s newly released annual jobs report.
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BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsPresident Donald Trump has released his proposed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2018, which includes $3.6 trillion in cuts. According to the White House, the reductions are the most proposed by any president. READ MORE

BY University of Minnesota Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe Minneapolis-based clean tech startup company enVerde has signed an agreement with the University of Minnesota to develop a technology that converts organic waste materials into synthetic gas (syngas).
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BY University of Maine Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsA pilot plant capable of processing up to 1 ton of woody biomass per day into chemicals that can be used to manufacture bioproducts will be demonstrated in 100 hours of continuous operation at the University of Maine’s Technology Research Center. READ MORE

BY Kathleen Phillips, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsTexas A&M AgriLife Research scientists are converting waste lignin into carbon fiber and other products. The team fractionates lignin so that the high molecular weight fraction can be used for carbon fiber, with other fractions used for bioplastics. READ MORE

BY To-Syn-Fuel Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsTo-Syn-Fuel, a project funded by Horizon 2020, EU’s new research and innovation program, recently launched. It aims to build-up, operate and demonstrate the production of synthetic fuels and green hydrogen from waste biomass.
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BY Ohio State University Found In:Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute has announced a new associate of applied science program in bioenergy and biological waste management to prepare students for careers in wastewater and drinking water treatment. READ MORE

BY U.S. Department of Energy Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office has announced Gevo, Cogent, Kalion, Synvitrobio and ThermChem will collaborate with national labs as part of the third round of the Small Business Vouchers Pilot. READ MORE

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsOn May 11, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue released a plan to reorganize the USDA that creates an undersecretary for trade and agricultural affairs and eliminates the undersecretary for rural development. READ MORE

BY Novamont Found In:Biogas, ChemicalsNovamont commissioned IGlux Witzenhausen GmbH and Witzenhausen-Institut GmbH to conduct a scientific study into the behaviour of biodegradable carrier bags made from MATER-BI, the bioplastic made by Novamont, in German anaerobic digestion plants.
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BY The University of Hong Kong Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsA collaborative research effort by the University of Hong Kong and Kyoto University has revealed a new strategy to allow cellulose in rice straw to release its fermentable sugar more efficiently. READ MORE

BY KU Leuven Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsA recent study by the Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics at KU Leuven on bacterial mutations opens up new avenues for research, ranging from more efficient biofuel production methods to a better treatment for bacterial infections and cancer. READ MORE

BY U.S. Department of Energy Found In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe Energy Department’s Bioenergy Technologies Office and Argonne National Laboratory have developed an Bioenergy Career Map, an educational tool that helps users discover traditional and nontraditional career opportunities in the bioenergy industry. READ MORE

BY American Biogas Council Found In:Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe American Biogas Council applauds the recent introduction of the bipartisan Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act, which provides a 30 percent investment tax credit (ITC) for qualifying biogas and nutrient recovery systems. READ MORE

BY U.S. Department of Energy Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe Algae Technology Education Consortium has successfully implemented the first semester of the ATEC curriculum at Santa Fe Community College. The curriculum is part of a new, two-year degree program in algae biology, technology, and cultivation. READ MORE

BY Oak Ridge National Laboratory Found In:Advanced Fuels, Chemicals"Electrical” bacteria are the key ingredient in a process developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory that recycles wastewater from biofuel production to generate hydrogen that can be used to convert bio-oil into higher grade liquid fuels. READ MORE

BY American Society of Agronomy Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsCynthia Bartel, a doctoral candidate at Iowa State University, is working to determine a method for proper removal of maize stover for biofuel production. READ MORE

BY Anna SimetFound In:Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe U.S. DOE has awarded funding to 38 projects for which small businesses will team up with national lab researchers through the DOE’s Small Business Vouchers pilot program. READ MORE

BY Micheal McAdams Found In:Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsIf the U.S. is to see the use of more advanced and cellulosic fuels, we have to provide more certainty and less friction to create a stable environment for investment in these companies. READ MORE